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Hello everyone,

I feel it would be appropriate to firstly introduce myself before I explain my reasons behind joining this forum. My name is Alex from Yorkshire in the UK and although not new to keeping carnivorous plants, I am new to actually keeping them alive!

I recently rekindled my love for carnivorous plants after reading a copy of 'The Savage Garden' by Peter D'amato and decided to create my own carnivorous plant terrarium. Although the advice in this book suggests keeping the plants in pots and watering via tray, I felt this method looks slightly sterile and have instead have chosen to design a more naturalistic Paludarium style container for a selection of Carnivores.

Circumstances have led to myself obtaining a 30cmx30cmx30cm reptile vivarium to realise this project, within this there shall be a running/trickling water element, which leaves an area of 20cmx30cmx20cm for planting.

Here comes the reason I joined the forum, my intended design shall create an environment with high humidity and little space; but I am still unsure what carnivorous plants could thrive in those conditions. My own research has led me to believe that the following plants would do well:
Cephalotus follicularis (Albany Pitcher)
Nepenthes 'Bloody Mary'
Dionaea muscipula-Variety?

All these plants would remain potted on a shelf made of eggcrate with gaps filled by Spagnum moss-saving me the the problem of having to make different substrate mixes!


Overcrowded? Overambitious? Over the top?
Please let me know!

Any help from experienced terrarium builders/plantsmen would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance

Alex

ps. I shall photograph the build process and upload to this thread as the project develops
 
Naturalistic terrariums, vivariums and paludariums tend to work best if you use plants with similar conditional requirements. You chose a tropical Nepenthes from South East Asia, a semi temperate from Austraila and a temperate species from the US. Not all of those plants will do well long term in there due to the fact that they all need different environments. Try using plants with the same needs, you'll have much more success.
 
Naturalistic terrariums, vivariums and paludariums tend to work best if you use plants with similar conditional requirements. You chose a tropical Nepenthes from South East Asia, a semi temperate from Austraila and a temperate species from the US. Not all of those plants will do well long term in there due to the fact that they all need different environments. Try using plants with the same needs, you'll have much more success.

This is where my plant knowledge lets me down-I'm restricted by the type of plants I can obtain from the internet and essentially plucked the ones that I visually like the best-not planning for the longterm.

I am refusing to have to work with heating elements simply because this is a first paludariums I am attempting, so I am currently looking at plants from cooler climates-say North American Sarracenias, however, I dont want to restrict myself to one variety of plants. Any suggestions for suitable high humidity Drosera/Darlingtonia californica/Dionaea, or do they simply not exist and I'll have to work with the dreaded heatmat.
 
Figure out how stable your temps will be year round and make your decision based upon that. If you can't provide a cool/cold dormancy, temperates like the Dionea will only live a few seasons. What aquatic residents are you considering for the water section?
 
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Yea unless your setup is going to be experiencing a definitive dormancy period every winter Sarracenia and Dionaea will not thrive in the long run. I would suggest as a start some of the very easiest carnivores that are small. Such examples would be D. capensis, U. sandersonii, or any of the more vigorous Mexican Pinguicula. These sort of plants don't need as severe of a dormancy and stay quite small for a long time.
 
Figure out how stable your temps will be year round and make your decision based upon that. If you can't provide a cool/cold dormancy, temperates like the Dionea will only live a few seasons. What aquatic residents are you considering for the water section?

I think that seems a sensible idea, completing the physical paludarium build and seeing what temps/humidity I have to work with. In terms of aquatic life, I dont think I'm going to actually include any due to the size of the tank and rather, make the plants the focus. Does that contradict the idea of a paludarium and really mean i'm essentially building a terrarium with a water feature?
 
I would prefer my plants to not have to have a dormancy period-through fear of them not returning! :-( is this possible without using a heatmat? I suppose a microclimate would be established inside the viv, but kept in my room away from the window it's unlilkely to exceed room temp
 
I think that seems a sensible idea, completing the physical paludarium build and seeing what temps/humidity I have to work with. In terms of aquatic life, I dont think I'm going to actually include any due to the size of the tank and rather, make the plants the focus. Does that contradict the idea of a paludarium and really mean i'm essentially building a terrarium with a water feature?
That would be my interpretation. My paludarium includes a permanent water section with fish, but it's also about 95cm square and 75cm high.
 
I would prefer my plants to not have to have a dormancy period-through fear of them not returning! :-( is this possible without using a heatmat? I suppose a microclimate would be established inside the viv, but kept in my room away from the window it's unlilkely to exceed room temp

Most tropical plants don't need as harsh a dormancy. Sometimes a drier period, but no real temperature drop.
 
  • #10
Certain plants will require dormancy, so if you don't think you can support their needs during that time of their lifecycle you should not grow them. You should select your plants based on what conditions you will be able to provide. These include temperature, humidity, lighting, media, etc. If you can specify (or even estimate) what the conditions will look like in your setup, we will be able to recommend plants which can be grown successfully.
 
  • #11
Certain plants will require dormancy, so if you don't think you can support their needs during that time of their lifecycle you should not grow them. You should select your plants based on what conditions you will be able to provide. These include temperature, humidity, lighting, media, etc. If you can specify (or even estimate) what the conditions will look like in your setup, we will be able to recommend plants which can be grown successfully.

As the project is not off the ground yet, I can only speculate to the exact conditions created-however I imagine owing to the presence of moving water, the humidity would be very high, the tank shall be kept away from the window under artifical lighting, i'm going to try LED although I am aware they are not the best for optimum growth. The room itself is room temperature and I dont feel like I wish to add additional heating infrastructre.

So essentially, a high humidity, room temp tank with average lighting and little room is what i have to work with-awkward or what:blush:
 
  • #12
That would be my interpretation. My paludarium includes a permanent water section with fish, but it's also about 95cm square and 75cm high.

Sounds nice! prehaps a future project with a larger tank....but it's already looking like I have a lot more thinking to do before this gets off the ground!:-))
 
  • #13
As the project is not off the ground yet, I can only speculate to the exact conditions created-however I imagine owing to the presence of moving water, the humidity would be very high, the tank shall be kept away from the window under artifical lighting, i'm going to try LED although I am aware they are not the best for optimum growth. The room itself is room temperature and I dont feel like I wish to add additional heating infrastructre.

So essentially, a high humidity, room temp tank with average lighting and little room is what i have to work with-awkward or what:blush:
Sounds sub-tropical to me.....
 
  • #14
Sounds sub-tropical to me.....

I could work with that-but sub-tropical according to Peter D'amato is between 45-85 degrees..leaving me to try figure out the best way to increase and regulate the tank temp...which i didnt want to do, but if it has to be done i'm prepared to.

Have you had any experience with heated tanks?:help:
 
  • #15
If you put on a fairly tight lid and bright lighting you will definitely warm up above room temp during the day, and as long as you can't see your breath in the room at night it won't be too cold then.......
 
  • #16
I set up and maintain aquaria for a living so I have some experience with heated tanks...............:grin:
 
  • #17
I set up and maintain aquaria for a living so I have some experience with heated tanks...............:grin:

Wow-that's some pedigree!

I however, am a studying Landscape Architect with an interest in plants and a lack of direction! :scratch:

I know how I'm going to realise my design; it's maintaining the plants that's the issue-I want to avoid plants that require dormancy, so sub tropical ones are the way forward-but it's finding suitable species (pref as hardy as possible) for a small tank which thrive in high humidity where Im struggling- I just dont have a clue!
 
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  • #18
Drosera capensis was mentioned. Very easy plant as long as it gets enough light, doesn't dry out and you don't fertilize it.
 
  • #19
You might consider various terrestrial Utricularia and Drosera adelae.
 
  • #20
I would suggest:

D. aliciae
D. capensis
D. adelae
D. prolifera

Subtropical Aldrovanda could potentially live in the aquatic portion

Genlisea flexuosa
G. violacea

Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor

Pinguicula agnata
P. esseriana
P. moranensis

Utricularia bisquamata
U. calycifida
U. gibba
U. graminifolia
U. livida
U. sandersonii
U. tricolor
 
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